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As the war between the Hamas terror organization and Israel wages on in the Gaza Strip, Hamas recruiters are intensifying efforts to replace the tens of thousands of terrorists killed or arrested since October 7th, according to Galei Tzahal (Army Radio) on Sunday.
As many as 20,000 terrorists have been either killed or arrested during the ongoing war, including 14,000-16,000 dead, without thousands more wounded, leaving them incapable of engaging in combat.
Only 5,000 to 10,000 of the terror group’s pre-war combatants are believed to remain combat ready, with many of the terrorists now spread out into small cells.
Over the past two months, however, since Israel’s withdrawal from the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, former headquarters of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, Hamas recruiters have redoubled their efforts to restore the terror group’s ranks, appealing to 18-year-old Gazan males to enlist with Hamas.
“All the military departments of Hamas are recovering, Hamas is trying to rehabilitate throughout the Strip, but mainly in areas where the IDF does not operate – Northern Gaza and Khan Yunis,” a senior Israeli security official said.
While Israel’s military has observed an increase in recruitment efforts, there are no solid figures regarding the number of new terrorists who have enlisted with Hamas in the last 10 weeks.
The IDF did say, however, that Hamas is nowhere near to recovering its pre-war combat strength.
Some hinted at a possible return of Israeli forces to Khan Yunis, as well as to areas in northern Gaza that have seen a pronounced resurgence of Hamas activities in recent weeks.
